denotation
/ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.90 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The primary, surface, literal, or explicit meaning of a signifier such as a word, phrase, or symbol; that which a word denotes, as contrasted with its connotation; the aggregate or set of objects of which a word may be predicated.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
Any mathematical object which describes the meanings of expressions from the languages, formalized in the theory of denotational semantics
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The denotations of the two expressions "the morning star" and "the evening star" are the same (i.e. both expressions denote the planet Venus), but their connotations are different."
- "Regarding denotation, the terms were generally used to refer to a wide range of language contact varieties and features."
Etymology
From Late Latin dēnotātiō, from Latin dēnotāre (“to denote, mark out”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns of action), from dē- (“completely”) + notāre (“to mark”); equivalent to denote + -ation.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: dēnotātiō, denoto
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌdiː.noʊˈteɪ.ʃən/